Munawar Faruqui

Munawar Faruqui (born 28 January 1991) is an Indian comedian, rapper and singer. In 2022, he won the reality TV show Lock Upp 1. In 2023, he participated in Bigg Boss 17 and emerged as the winner.

Early life and education Faruqui was born in Junagadh, Gujarat, on 28 January 1991 into a Gujarati Muslim family. His father lost the money and came under a huge debt. Due to financial constraints, he left school after the 5th class. He started to work to make the ends meet. Still a child, he worked at a gift shop and later joined his mother and grandmother in making and selling samosas and chaklis. He started to do some odd jobs in Mumbai. In 2020, his father died, after being paralysed. He released his debut song "Jawab" in collaboration with Indian musician Spectra in August 2020.

On 28 February 2021, he uploaded a standup comedy video named "Ghost Story" on his YouTube Channel.

In 2022, he became a contestant on Balaji Telefilms' reality television show Lock Upp, hosted by Kangana Ranaut. On 8 May 2022, he was declared the show's winner. The show was streamed on OTT platforms ALTBalaji and MX Player.

In 2023, he became a contestant on the reality TV show Bigg Boss 17, hosted by Salman Khan. On 28 January 2024, he was declared the show's winner. He participated in the first season of Entertainers Cricket League (ECL).

Personal life Faruqui married Jasmine in 2017, but the marriage ended in divorce in 2022. The ex-couple has a five-year-old son.

In December 2021, he started dating social media influencer Nazila Sitaishi. In Bigg Boss 17, Ayesha Khan accused him of two-timing her and Sitaishi and being involved with multiple women. Subsequently, on 18 December 2023, Sitaishi broke up with him on Instagram live, accusing him of cheating. In May 2024, he married Mehzabeen Coatwala, a makeup artist.

Controversy Munawar Faruqui was on his tour performing stand up comedy in different cities of India. On 1 January 2021, he performed a stand-up show at Munro Cafe in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, which was interrupted by Eklavya Singh Gaur, son of BJP MLA Malini Gaur accusing him of making malicious jokes about Hindu deities and the Minister of Home Affairs of India, Amit Shah. On 2 January, he was arrested by Madhya Pradesh Police in the midst of his comic act, stating that he was arrested under the Hate speech laws in India.

His arrest was criticised by some people, including a small group of global Indian diaspora on 2 February 2021, who announced that a group of South Asian Americans stand-up comedians will perform a virtual comedy show on 6 February 2021 to show their solidarity to the jailed Faruqui. He was subsequently granted bail (not acquitted) by the Supreme Court of India. He spent 37 days in jail.

Filmography Web series

Television

Special appearances

Music videos

Discography Year Track Co-artist Notes 2020"Jawab"Spectra "Nagpada Ka Rider" 2021"Aazmaish"Nazz "Dus Lakh"Spectra "Hunarat" "Khawab"DRJ Sohail 2022"Kalandar"Farhan Khan "Khamoshi" "Todh"Prince Narula "Madari"Farhan Khan, Charan "Mumtaz""Kajal""Tu Lage Mujhe""KOD""Malaal"ft. Rashmeet Kaur"Legacy"Ganesh Acharya"Maula"KshmrFrom KSHMR's sophomore album, Karam "Pyar ki Bahaar"ft. Rashmeet Kaur2024"Dhandho"Spectra"Kuch Yaadein"Suyyash Rai"Dark Circles"DRJ Sohail "SuppaMario"Aniket"Wolf"Raga